Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-06-08

about the Beers, but she was too much preoc-
cupied with her own affairs to pay much at
tention to it, Nor, indeed, was the public
mind greatly moved; they were so much &C
customed to Boer scares at Pretoria, and bith-
erto they had invariably ended in smoke. And
then all of sudden, on the morning Of the
18th Of December came the news OF the proc
lamation Of the republic, and the town was
thrown into ferment, and there was talk
of going into laager, and, anxious as she was
to get away, jess could see no hope of return
ing to the farm till the excitement was over.
Then day or two later Conductor Egerton
came limping into Pretoria from the scene of
the disaster at Bronker's Spruit, with the col
ors of the Ninety-fourth regiment tied round
his middle, and such tale to tell that the
blood went to her heart and seemed to stag
nate there as she listened to it.
And after that there was confusion worse
confounded. Martial law was proclaimed,
and the town, which was large, struggling
and incapable of defense, was abandoned, the
inhabitants being ordered into laager on the
high ground overlooking the city. There
they were, young and old, sick and well, deli
cate women and little children, all crowded
together in the open under the cover OF the
fort. with nothing but canvas tents, wagons
and sheds to shelter them from the fierce SUM:
snaar Suns and Bssss had to ~
wagon with her friend and her friends sister
and mother, and found it rather tight dt
even to lie down. Sleep, with all the noises
Of the camp going on round her, was prac-
tical impossibility.
It was about o'clock on the day following
that first miserable night in the laager when,
by the last mail that passed into Pretoria, she
got Bessie's letter announcing her engage
ment to John. She took her letter and went
some way from the camp to the side Of Signal
Hill, where she was not likely to be disturbed,
and, finding a nook shaded in by mimosa
trees, sat down and broke the envelope Be-
fore she had got to the foot of the first page she
saw what was coming and set her teeth. Then
she read the long letter through from begin
ming to end without finching, though the
words of affection seemed to burn her. So it
had come at last Well, she expected it. and
had plotted to bring it about, SO really there
was no reason in the world why she should
feel disappointed On the contrary, she
ought to rejoice, and for little while she
really did rejoice in her sisters happiness. 1t
ucI uoppy w IuAilN oaoo OSo9AS, "nOA4A
she dearly loved, was happy.
And yet she felt angry with John with that
sort Of anger which we feel against those who
have blindly injured us. Why should he
have it in his power to hurt her sol Still she
hoped that he would be happy with Bessie,
and then she hoped that these wretched
Beers would take Pretoria, and that she
would be shot or put out Of the way some
how. She had no heart for lie; all the color
had faded from her sky. What was she to
do with herself3 She would not stop on the
farm after John and Bessie were married;
she was quite clear as to that; nor, II she
could avoid it, would she return there before
they were married She would see him no
more, no more! Alas, that she had ever seen
him.
Feeling somewhat happier, or at any rate
calmer, in this determination, she rose to re-
turn to the noisy camp, extending her walk,
however, by making detour toward the
Heidelberg road, for she was anxious to be as
long alone rs she could. She had been walk
ing some ten minutes when she caught sight
Of O cart that seemed familiar to her. with
three horses harnessed in front Of it and one
tied on behind, which were also familiar.
There were a lot Of men walking alongside Of
the cart, all talking eagerly. She halted to
let the little procession go by, when suddenly
she perceived John Mel among the men and
recognized the Zulu Mouti on the box. There
was the man whom she had just vowed never
to see again, and the sight of him seemed to
take all her strength out Of her. so that she
felt inclined to sink involuntarily upon the
veldt.- His sudden appearance was almost
mcanny in the sharpness Of its illustration OF
her impotence in the hands Of fate. She felt
it then; all in an instant it seemed to be borne
in upon her mind that she could not help her.
self. but was only the instrument in the
hands of superior power whose will she was
fulfilling through the workings of her passion
and to whom her individual fate was matter
of little moment. 1t was inconclusive rea-
soning and perilous doctrine, but it must be
allowed that the circumstances gave it the
color of truth. And, after all, the border
line between fatalism and free will has never
been quite authoritatively settled, even by
St Paul, so perhaps she was right. Mankind
does not like to admit it, but it is, at tho least,
question whether we can oppose our little
wills against the forces of the universal law
or derange the details Of the unvarying plan
to suit the petty wants and hopes Ct individ-
ual mortality. Jess was clever woman, but
it would take wiser heal than hers to know
where or when to draw that rcd line across
the writings of our life.
TO BE Continued